DETROIT, (Sept. 17, 2013) -Team Cadillac drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim will be sporting black Cadillac CTS-V race cars for the Pirelli World Challenge GT Final at the Foametix Grand Prix of Houston Oct. 4-6.
Team Cadillac has run 13 of 14 events on the Pirelli World Challenge racing schedule. O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) lies second in GT points with teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton Fla.) third. Although Team Cadillac has secured the GT Manufacturer Title for 2013, both O’Connell and Pilgrim have a mathematical chance of winning the driver’s championship in the final 50-minute race of the year that will run in the shadow of Reliant Stadium, home to the Houston Texans NFL team.
To commemorate the season and get Team Cadillac enthusiasts involved, Cadillac held a fan pole on their social media sites to vote in favor of four different liveries (black, blue, white, red) for the Houston finale. The black scheme proved to be the favorite. In a tight race between black and blue, each held their own on various social media platforms. Blue won on Instagram and Google+, while slightly trailing black on Twitter. The Facebook fans proved to be too much. However, as black ultimately became the color of choice due to strong support on Facebook. Nearly 10,000 votes were cast through the varying social platforms.
“I think changing the color is a great idea,” Pilgrim said. “I really liked the original car color and actually liked it best when it was all carbon black before we first painted it back in the winter of 2003. I’m totally fine with changing stuff around like helmet designs and car colors. I know a lot of drivers who really don’t like any change at all like this, due to being so superstitious.”
O’Connell is ready to get his black on.
“I think that the black will look great,” O’Connell said. “I love that it was chosen by the fans. Since Cadillac has reentered World Challenge Competition, we’ve gained so many fans and to honor them with this is a great way to say thanks.”
Team Cadillac will travel to Houston, Texas for the Pirelli World Challenge finale Oct. 4-6.
Team Cadillac 2013 Pirelli World Challenge GT Results
TROY, Mich., Sept. 16, 2013 — Automation Alley, Michigan’s largest technology business association, announced the winners of its 13th Annual Awards Gala Friday at The Henry hotel in Dearborn.
Automation Alley’s Annual Awards Gala is the region’s most prestigious event honoring technology organizations and their leaders. The event celebrated the accomplishments and continued growth of the individuals and companies moving Southeast Michigan’s technology economy forward.
This year’s Awards Gala featured remarks by special guests Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano and Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.
The award winners were selected through a public online vote and exemplify the best among the region’s technology community.
“A renaissance is coming in Southeast Michigan and in the state. As someone who’s been part of the business community here for more than 50 years, I can say that there’s an energy and a confidence in this region driven by an economy on the rebound. At Automation Alley, we believe that energy will continue to grow into something great. Thank you for being a part of it,” said Automation Alley Executive Director Ken Rogers.
The 2013 award winners are:
Automation Alley Member of the Year: Rochelle A. Black, Oakland University
Rochelle A. Black is the vice president for government and community relations at Oakland University. She is also a member of the university president’s administrative cabinet. Rochelle is charged with managing government and community relations activities at the local, state and federal levels. Prior to joining Oakland University, Rochelle served as communications and marketing director for the Michigan Department of Public Health; deputy press secretary for Michigan Governor John Engler; vice president and media director for Bailey, Klepinger, Medrich & Muhlberg; and senior media planner for W.B. Doner Advertising. Rochelle previously served on Automation Alley’s board of directors and chairs the organization’s Government Affairs Committee.
Educational Program of the Year: Central Michigan University New Venture Competition
Over the past three years, more than 250 aspiring entrepreneurs from Central Michigan University (CMU) and Michigan Technological University participated in the CMU New Venture Competition. The New Venture Competition is a forum for identifying, nurturing and showcasing emerging entrepreneurs and their businesses. It provides early-stage, student-led startups with experience, guidance and a platform to launch their venture. The competition awards more than $65,000 in startup capital and in-kind services to get companies off the ground and running. The students learn startup skills, which enable them to differentiate themselves from others through experience and increase their chance of successful business creation.
Entrepreneur of the Year: Bill Coughlin, Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Bill is the president and CEO of Ford Global Technologies, where he is responsible for protecting and leveraging the intellectual property for Ford Motor Company and its subsidiaries worldwide. Bill is also a member of the board of directors for the Intellectual Property Owners Association and an adjunct professor at Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where he teaches e-commerce law and trade secret law. Prior to joining Ford, he was the chief intellectual property lawyer for DaimlerChrysler, and prior to joining Chrysler, he was a partner at Harness, Dickey & Pierce.
Global Trader of the Year: Fluxtrol, Inc.
Fluxtrol, Inc. is a global provider of innovative composite materials for magnetic flux control in induction heating systems, induction coil design, commercial electromagnetic computer simulation, technical consulting, cooperative technology development, prototyping and experimental validation. More than 65 percent of the company’s revenue is generated from international sales, and products and services are sold in more than 50 countries. Automation Alley’s trade missions and support services enabled Fluxtrol to generate $4.8 million in export sales, 40 percent of Fluxtrol’s $12 million in total overseas sales. Fluxtrol was founded in 1981 by Robert S. Ruffini. Ruffini is a member of Automation Alley’s International Business Services Advisory Council.
Technology Company of the Year: Pratt Miller Engineering
Pratt Miller Engineering provides innovative engineering solutions for clients in the motorsports, automotive, defense and commercial industries. The company’s robust engineering capabilities include design, modeling and simulation, manufacturing, testing and development. The company differentiates itself among industry leaders by providing complete integrated-solution services and products to customers through the application of sophisticated computer-aided engineering (CAE) and computational design tools, rapid manufacturing technologies and accelerated test and validation methods. The results are the creation of innovative ground vehicle technologies with a high degree of quality, performance, robustness and production readiness in an accelerated time frame that is often unmatched.
The Awards Gala was emceed by master of ceremonies Bill Proctor, former reporter for Detroit ABC affiliate WXYZ.
The Michigan Economic Development Corporation was the premier sponsor of the Awards Gala. Individual award sponsors included:
• Clark Hill PLC: Automation Alley Member of the Year
• Kelly Services, Inc.: Educational Program of the Year
• Foster Swift Collins & Smith: Entrepreneur of the Year
• Detroit Regional Chamber: Global Trader of the Year
• TechTown: Technology Company of the Year
About Automation Alley
Automation Alley is a technology business association driving the growth and image of Southeast Michigan’s economy through a collaborative culture that focuses on workforce and business development initiatives.
Since its founding in 1999, Automation Alley has expanded to include nearly 1,000 businesses, educational institutions and government entities from the city of Detroit and the surrounding eight-county region. Automation Alley promotes regional prosperity through entrepreneurial and exporting assistance, workforce development and technology acceleration.
Chevrolet, Corvette bring driver, team and manufacturer championship lead to COTA debut
DETROIT (Sept. 16, 2013) – Corvette Racing’s chase for another American Le Mans Series championship next moves to Texas for the eighth round of the ALMS season. As was the case three weeks ago in Baltimore, Corvette Racing hopes the two biggest stars of the weekend are its two Compuware Chevrolet Corvette C6.Rs.
The stars at night aren’t the only things big and bright deep in the heart of Texas. The new Circuit of The Americas is the newest and most glamorous permanent road-racing venue in the United States. In its first year of operation, the 20-turn, 3.4-mile Circuit of The Americas has played host to the Formula One United States Grand Prix along with MotoGP and V8 Supercars.
Next up is the International Sports Car Weekend – a combined event with the ALMS and FIA World Endurance Championship. Corvette Racing’s two velocity-yellow Corvette C6.Rs head an ALMS GT class that will garner much of the weekend’s attention during Saturday’s 3:45 p.m. CT race. Viewers around the country can the action live on ESPN3 and then on ESPN2 at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Corvette Racing’s stable of four drivers comes to Austin with two victories each on the season. Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner, defending ALMS GT champions, lead the drivers’ standings with wins at Sebring – with Richard Westbrook – in their No. 4 Compuware Corvette to open the year and another victory at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Jan Magnussen and Antonio Garcia took their first victory together in the No. 3 Compuware Corvette at Laguna Seca. They won the most recent ALMS round at Baltimore to move within two points of Gavin and Milner in the championship.
With four victories, Corvette Racing heads the team standings, and Chevrolet is in control of the manufacturers’ race. There are 64 points available over the remaining three rounds.
This weekend’s race marks the first for the ALMS at Circuit of The Americas. Corvette Racing is one of the few teams that have logged test days at the venue, having spent time there in late 2012. The trip not doubt will prove beneficial as Corvette Racing can spend more time on engineering and strategy rather than establishing a baseline setup once testing starts Tuesday.
EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.
International Sports Car Weekend (all times CT)
• Test Session 1: 1 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 17
• Test Session 2: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 19
• Practice 1: 8 a.m., Friday, Sept. 20
• Practice 2: 12:40 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20
• GT Qualifying: 2:10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20
• Warmup: 8 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 21
• Race: 3:45 p.m., Saturday Sept. 21
Circuit of The Americas: Watch It!
Friday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Sept. 22 (all times ET)
• Qualifying: Live – 2:40 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20 (ESPN3)
“It will be difficult and different. Teams in the ALMS are used to running through the same schedule of events. With new events, the team becomes a bigger part of it. It’s true we had a couple of test days late last year, but in the end we don’t know what to expect. There have been some races there and maybe the track has changed a little bit. Now it’s up to the team to judge what will be the ideal setup to start the weekend and develop a program to approach the race.
(The layout) “If I were running the Formula One season or more of the European season, it would be just another track and similar to many there. I knew from the past a few of the tracks designed by the same person. When you go around COTA, it is a combination of Turkey, Bahrain and Shanghai together. But because we don’t have tracks like this, it’s different and it’s great to have. It is good for everyone. Maybe it takes away a little bit of bravery because of the run-off areas, but I think everyone will be very close because of that. It will be challenging for sure.”
(What type of car should the track favor?) “I’m not sure. It has long sections of medium- and high-speed corners. Maybe Mosport is similar with very long, fast corners, and the Viper seems to be competitive there. For sure, because it’s brand new it will depend on how the teams perform before the race and leading up to the weekend.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“Obviously it’s a fantastic facility and really shows that it is a Formula One track. The layout and all the facilities around it are absolutely top-line all the way through. It is interesting for us to go race. There aren’t that many facilities like this in the world, so I’m sure the whole team is looking forward to going there and see what we can do. We had a test there in December and obviously we can’t say how we are going to do. We will have to wait until we get to the weekend to see where we are in terms of the competition. I think with the long straights, we may encounter a little of the same issues as at Road America and Le Mans where our top speed may not be good enough.”
(Finding a line) “The section from Turn 3 to Turn 10 is one long, continuous series of corners. If you mess up one, you will mess up the rest because you are now off-line for the entry to the next one. I can see a lot of scrapping going on there, especially with the prototypes and trying to stop them from passing you in a place that puts you off the line. I can see some issues running different categories but it will be the same for everyone. It is a new track and no one has a lot of experience there. I’m sure everybody will be experimenting with setups to get the most out of the cars.”
(The championship chase): “I’m very happy and surprised that we are where we are. I have to say that after Sebring, we scored zero points which put us 24 behind the No. 4 car. At that point, I thought the championship was over for us. We could try for some wins and make the most of it, but I didn’t think that with three races to go we would be two points back. For us, I don’t know if it changes anything in the way we are going to approach the weekend. What we have been doing is very consistently scoring good points. We’ve won the races we can and scored as many points at races where wins weren’t on the table. That is what we need to keep doing and how we will win this championship.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It is the most recently built big racing facility in the United States and built to Formula One spec. It’s impressive and a great track. It has a number of challenges and a couple of different personalities. From Turn 1 to Turn 10 is all high-speed, long-duration corners. You need a car with a lot of downforce to get through there quickly. Then it goes from there to basically a circuit of very long straightaways and hairpin turns. That’s all about straightline speed and braking. Getting back to the pit area, you’ve got a very long right-hander and then a quick left-hander where you go into another hairpin to the frontstraight. You could run a low-downforce setup or a high-downforce setup and maybe make either work there. We will have to wait and see when the time comes.”
(On last year’s test) “It’s a place where all the drivers when we tested there got quite a thrill from driving. It was a big challenge to figure out different ways of getting around there and different lines you could take going through turns 2, 3, 4 and 5. We were all comparing notes and found out we were doing it all differently. We need to see how that turns out and figure out the fastest way through there before raceday. It should be a great facility to race at.”
(Finding balance) “You’d always err on the side of having a bit more downforce than not. You’re going to sacrifice a little too much on the first part of the track but it’s something the engineers will look at and try to figure out through assimilation. We will take the lead from them.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“The facility is probably the best in the United States. With catering to the F1 crowd, it’s fun for us to go and race on that track. Everything about it is first-class, and it’s a joy to be there. From all the comfort side, it’s all great. As far as the track goes, it’s also a challenging venue and one that’s fun to drive. There is lots and lots of elevation change. From nearly every perspective, it’s a great track. We don’t know how it is going to race yet. We had two LMP cars that ran with us when we tested there last year and got some indication as to what the traffic will be like. There may be some areas where it will be tough to let faster cars go by. But that’s part of the challenge. We have some baseline to go off of, so we’re a little ahead of the game compared to some of our competitors. Hopefully it gives us a little bit of an edge and advantage once the race begins.”
(Preparing for a new track) “With the way the modern F1 tracks are – the ones I’ve driven on, at least – they are wide enough that it allows you to play around with your line and take some unorthodox lines in some cases to find some speed in certain areas. Each of our drivers went through and tried to figure out the fastest way around. What the fastest way is by yourself isn’t always going to be the fastest way with traffic and trying to get by someone. In many places, the track just has one line like the first turn, the exit and the esses. But when you get to the last three-quarters of the track, there are quite a few lines you can take to get through the slow stuff. It allows you to play around with being faster in the first two corners while giving up the exit. It will be a challenge for anyone who hasn’t been there – to figure out what’s best for their car. But also once we get to the race, trying to figure out where we can make passes. It is a big challenge because no one in our class has raced there.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“Circuit of the Americas ranks as one of the finest road racing facilities in the world. So to say we are excited to be part of this event would certainly be an understatement. Aside from the formidable 20-turn, 3.4-mile circuit itself, what makes this race even more difficult is the fact that no ALMS teams have raced there, as yet. I think that situation tends to accentuate a team’s engineering capabilities, and I know all our guys are looking forward to demonstrating what they can do. With three races remaining in our quest to repeat as ALMS driver, team and manufacturer champions, it is paramount that we finish strongly here. It should prove to be just another epic ALMS GT battle.”
MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 8, 2013) – Wayne Taylor Racing’s Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli continued to show championship form Sunday as they won their second straight race in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Angelelli started from outside the front row, and Taylor put on a dominating display as Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Velocity Worldwide Corvette Daytona Prototype won the Continental Tire Sports Car Festival at Laguna Seca.
The victory extended the lead of Taylor and Angelelli in the Rolex Series’ DP standings to eight points with one race remaining. Chevrolet also retained its advantage in the class’ engine manufacturer championship, and Wayne Taylor Racing moved to second place and within nine points in the team standings.
Taylor led 72 of the race’s 105 laps. Richard Westbrook in the pole-winning Spirit of Daytona Racing Corvette DP led the first 22 when the yellow flag came out for a full-course caution. Angelelli, running second at the time, pitted and handed over to Taylor, who won the race out of pit lane thanks to quick pit work from the Wayne Taylor Racing crew. Over the next two-plus hours, the young American’s lead grew to nearly a half-minute before late-race caution periods tightened up the field.
He finished 2.692 seconds clear of Scott Pruett, whom Taylor fended off to win at Kansas City in the previous Rolex Series race. IZOD IndyCar Series driver Scott Dixon was third and pressured Jordan in the race’s latter half, as well.
“It was definitely a good race,” Taylor said. “Once we got past that first yellow and had a bunch of green-flag running, we pulled a good lead. I was hoping to stay green and use that buffer to my advantage. But once it went yellow, that went away. Having Pruett and Dixon right on you is intense. I was glad to be able to hold them off and get a win for the guys.”
Corvette DPs took three of the top-five places. Unofficially, Chevrolet leads the engine manufacturer standings by 32 points with 35 available in the final race at Lime Rock Park in on Sept. 28.
“Congratulations to Jordan Taylor, Max Angelelli and everyone at Wayne Taylor Racing on a flawless effort at Laguna Seca,” said Jim Lutz, Chevrolet Program Manager, Rolex Sports Car Series. “Not only was this a tremendous victory in today’s race but an important step toward the Daytona Prototype drivers’, team and engine manufacturers’ championship. The competitive nature of the DP class makes today’s effort even more impressive. This is a great day but no one at Team Chevy will let up with one race remaining.”
In GT, Marsh Racing’s Corvette of Boris Said and Eric Curran placed third after starting second in class. The result matched their season-best at Barber Motorsports Park in the spring, and Curran led for 10 laps late Sunday. Andy Lally and John Potter were the winners.
Stevenson Motorsports’ Robin Liddell and John Edwards placed seventh in their No. 57 Camaro GT.R and stand third in the class drivers’ championship – 13 points behind leaders Lally and Potter.
Earlier in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, Matt Bell went from fifth to second in the final four minutes in Stevenson Motorsports’ No. 9 Camaro GS.R. Bell and Edwards were runners-up to Spencer Pumpelly and Jim Norman in GS and extended the class championship to the season finale at Lime Rock Park.
ROLEX SPORTS CAR SERIES QUOTES
JORDAN TAYLOR, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
(Did lessons from holding off Pruett at Kansas help today?) “It definitely helped a lot. But guys in GT also are great drivers. So in my career in GT, I’ve learned a lot from those guys and how to hold them off. Having Pruett on me for an hour-and-a-half (at Kansas) was intense and having Dixon on me here was another good experience. I’m glad to have that one in my book and move on.”
MAX ANGELELLI, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“Our team is just the best in my opinion. Jordan, as usual, delivered. He always has this year. I’m very proud of him. He did a fantastic job – was very strong, very fast and made no mistakes. This is the way to win championships.”
WAYNE TAYLOR, OWNER, NO. 10 WAYNE TAYLOR RACING CORVETTE DP
“I can’t even talk. The team was flawless. Max did a great start. Everyone did a great job. These boys never cease to amaze me. I’m just so proud of them all.”
ERIC CURRAN, NO. 31 MARSH RACING CORVETTE
“We’ve always been strong here. Today was just a great day. We had a strong car and good pit stops; on the last one, we kind of got hung up on a lug nut (during a tire change). We had a strong car overall and had a car that could have won today but we will take third place and a podium finish. We’ve struggled the last couple races so it’s really good for the team to get some results and have such a strong finish. I’m really happy for all these guys at Marsh Racing. All their efforts and hard work that they’ve put into this program is really paying off now. I couldn’t be happier for them. It’s a good result beginning of a big future for us looking toward our DP program.”
CONTINENTAL SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE QUOTES
JOHN EDWARDS, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO GS.R
“It really wasn’t all that crazy of a race until the last couple of laps when people started getting desperate, but Matt kept his head on straight and made a great move around the outside of (Joey) Atterbury.”
(On Bell’s late pass) “He said he saw Atterbury getting loose and tried the outside and since Atterbury had to pinch it, Matt was able to get the run. I have to say that I never thought that would work when I saw him try it on the outside and we were all on the intercom going, ‘Oh that’s not going to work, that’s not going to work!’ and then it worked.
“At the same time (Bill) Auberlen fell out so we inherited second and then there was mayhem behind us. This Camaro is pretty beat up at the end of this race, but I think it’s actually put together better than it was at the end of last year’s race here. We’ll take the points, and I think we’re looking pretty secure here for second in the championship.”
MATT BELL, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS CAMARO GS.R
“This wasn’t the car it’s been here – actually the last two years it hasn’t been the best car here that we could have had, but really (the team) kept making decisions to make it more drivable when the tires were burning off of it. Everybody was having the same issues. I kept seeing the No. 51 car in front of me get loose in braking zones so I tried the outside and he kind of pinched over and I was braking in the dirt, but it all worked out. We still kind of willed ourselves into that because there were a lot of people spinning all over the place. Maybe I caused that, I don’t know, but it worked. I want to thank all the Stevenson guys. They worked really hard.”
MIKE JOHNSON, TEAM MANAGER, NO. 9 STEVENSON MOTORSPORTS, CAMARO GS.R
“It was just another crazy race. Our whole goal was to stay with the No. 55. We had some really good pit stops. We made a really good call on the dive in which got us some track position. Matt fought hard with that No. 15 car for a long time. We just did what we had to do, which was stay with the No. 55 car, not do anything silly. I guess technically we still have a shot at the championship, but our goal was really just to finish out this season on a high note. This was probably one of the most fun second places we’ve had, so we’re really happy right now.”
NEXT EVENT DETAILS
GRAND-AM Championship Weekend – Rolex Sports Car Series
Season’s second victory for No. 3 Corvette duo in wild street race
BALTIMORE (Aug. 31, 2013) – Corvette Racing scored a 1-2 class finish today in one of the wildest and unpredictable sports car races in memory at the Grand Prix of Baltimore and the seventh round of the American Le Mans Series. Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen won for the second time this season in the ALMS’ GT class driving their No. 3 Compuware Chevrolet Corvette C6.R. Defending ALMS GT champions Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner were runners-up for the second consecutive season on the Streets of Baltimore in the No. 4 Corvette.
Magnussen moved from third in class to first – and around Milner – on a restart with a little less than 20 minutes to go. The 1-2 finish was the team’s first since last year’s Laguna Seca round. It also increased Chevrolet’s lead in the GT manufacturer championship, as well as Corvette Racing’s margin in the team standings.
Garcia and Magnussen moved up to second in the drivers’ championship and sit just two points behind Gavin and Milner with three rounds left in the season.
“Congratulations to the Corvette C6.R drivers and crews on their 1-2 class finish in the ALMS GT class in Baltimore,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet US Vice President, Performance Vehicles and Motorsports. “Both teams demonstrated exceptional driving, quick pit work and tremendous perseverance. Oliver Gavin and Antonio Garcia did a terrific job of adapting to intense, ever-changing racing conditions. And finally it was great to see Jan Magnussen and Tommy Milner drive to the front after the final restart.
“Today’s Corvette Racing results were important for manufacturer, driver and team standings,” Campbell added. “However our focus remains on the three final races in the ultra competitive GT class.”
ABC’s 1 p.m. ET Sunday broadcast of the race will be one to see. The race featured a nearly one-hour, red-flag period after a massive crash blocked the circuit immediately following the drop of the green flag. The race length was shortened from two hours to approximately 70 minutes, and both Corvettes were involved in a slight incident on the subsequent restart. The drama continued for Garcia, who lost radio communication with the Corvette Racing crew and did not hear the call to pit just 12 minutes after the restart. He made an evasive maneuver and spun 180 degrees to make the pit entry at the very last minute.
Milner rejoined the race in third place and Magnussen fourth. Milner chased down Maxime Martin’s BMW and moved to second with 41 minutes left, and Magnussen followed suit one lap later. The race’s fourth and final caution period led to Magnussen’s move on Milner and another BMW going into Turn 1.
Corvette Racing returns to action at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, for the eighth round of the ALMS championship. The race, set for 3:45 p.m. CT on Saturday, Sept. 21, will air Sept. 22 at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.
Circuit of The Americas (all times CT)
• Test Session 1: 1 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 17
• Test Session 2: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 19
• Practice 1: 8 a.m., Friday, Sept. 20
• Practice 2: 12:40 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20
• GT Qualifying: 2:10 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20
• Warmup: 8 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 21
• Race: 3:45 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 31
Circuit of The Americas: Watch It!
Friday, Sept. 20-Sunday, Sept. 22 (all times ET)
• Qualifying: Live – 2:40 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20 (ESPN3)
“It was one of those situations you don’t like. We had just started to accelerate and could avoid people. But those that were three or four cars behind me couldn’t do anything at all. The situation is that no one practiced that line (around the curbing) before the start. So you don’t know how much you will jump (over the rail line). You have the chicane when we are racing to slow us down but not at the start. We are going straight. Maybe that is what caught people on the start when they went to power and jumped more than they thought. On the inside, the jump is heavier.
“I was on the lucky line because I just followed the car in front of me and it looked like it was the right one. After we crossed the rail line, I started to see people spin around. I tried to find my spot and carry on. Afterwards when I saw on TV what happened, that was not really good for the fans for sure. At that point, the race lost what looked like half of the cars.”
Loss of radio communication before the pit stop: “I got the call that when the pits were open, we were coming in. I had no other radio communication afterward. When I saw a Ferrari that was a lap down pitting, I didn’t know if it was my turn. If it was the BMW or maybe someone else pitting then I would follow. But as soon as I saw Olly (Gavin) pitting, I did a 180-degree turn to get into the pitlane.
“The main thing is that there was no communication. I started the race thinking it was a two-hour race, and then following the caution I was told we were doing a pit stop and a driver change. That’s when the radio went off completely. As soon as I saw the cars following me go into the pit, I decided I needed to go in too.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It was a really weird race – a sprint race with really no pit stops. There was one in the beginning once we restarted the race but everyone had the driving time limits to figure out. We got a little bit messed up in the pit stop because of a radio failure so there was no way to tell Antonio that the pits were open. It was impossible for him to know if it was all cars, just P cars or just GT cars. He made the right decision. He stopped, spun it around and only lost a couple of spots when we could have lost them all. It was good thinking and reaction on his part. After that, it was a matter of going as hard as we could. We didn’t have to worry about tires or fuel. We just needed to go.”
Pass for the lead: “I was trying to pass one of the BMWs, and he got balked by someone. I had to get around and in front so I could defend and not give him the position back. I got a little off-line and locked up the inside-front a little and the car shoved me to the inside of Tommy. It wasn’t a planned move but when I got halfway there, I thought ‘To hell with it. I’ll just go!’ It was a clean pass, and Tommy used his head. We were just trying to race and maximize our points to get both Corvettes ahead of the BMW. We were successful in that.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“I’ve never been quite in anything like that before. You see a wreck like that at the start, and you think it’s going to be nasty. Cars start bouncing around and ricocheting everywhere and there is nowhere for anyone to go. I was off-throttle as the Level 5 car went into the wall. I thought for sure he was going to bounce back across. Immediately it was all being waved off. We came around and just sat there. No one knew what to do for the next 45 minutes. For the restart, I moved from the left side of the grid to the right side, and starting on that side is much tougher. You get such a bigger jump across the train tracks than on the left.”
On the starts the last few races: “There is something strange going on at the front of the grid with the way these races have been started. Someone is absolutely jumping the gun, and that’s making it unsafe for all of us. That’s a bit crazy.
More on the day: It’s pretty amazing that we were sitting in a wreck at Turn 4 – both cars – with others and somehow we’ve managed to pull a 1-2 out of that! It was one of those wacky races that you couldn’t take your eyes off of. You have to take every single one, and I’m very happy to take second in this one.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It was a weird race, unfortunately. What can you say? It’s a tight street race and you can see what happens when one car gets turned around. Fortunately we missed all of it. There was a lot going on, and we’re happy to come home with some good points. Jan snookered me there at Turn 1. But that’s what he should do. We’re all here to race and win. I had to brake a little early because I was on the dirty line. But great day for Chevrolet and Corvette Racing.”
Compuware Corvettes to test their mettle around Inner Harbor street circuit
DETROIT (Aug. 27, 2013) – Crab cakes, Camden Yards and Charm City’s temporary street circuit await Corvette Racing and its two Compuware Chevrolet Corvette C6.R race cars this weekend with the third running of the Grand Prix of Baltimore. The two-hour race is the seventh round of the American Le Mans Series and the second street race of the season. One of the newest venues on the ALMS calendar has been kind to Corvette Racing with podium finishes in the event’s first two years.
The concrete canyons along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor frame a demanding and unforgiving layout that will challenge Corvette Racing’s four drivers. ALMS GT championship leaders Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner – who lives 90 minutes from Baltimore in his native Virginia – drive the No. 4 Compuware Corvette that has won two races this season. Meanwhile, Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen look to win for the second time in 2013 with their No. 3 Corvette. The pair stands fourth in the drivers’ standings but only six points out of first place.
With four races remaining in the ALMS season, positions and points are at a premium. In addition to the drivers’ championship, Chevrolet leads the GT manufacturers’ standings, as does Corvette Racing in the team category.
The Inner Harbor circuit measures 2.02 miles in length with 12 turns. The long frontstretch features a temporary chicane to slow cars before crossing a light-rail line prior to start-finish and a hard right-hander for Turn 1. The course also features a tight hairpin turn and a run around Camden Yards – home of Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles.
Corvette Racing appears to have history – brief as it may be – on its side at Baltimore. Gavin and Magnussen were third in 2011 with Gavin and Milner runners-up last year en route to the ALMS championship. Gavin was on pole position and set the fastest GT race lap in 2012, and Magnussen was the fastest driver in the 2011 race.
EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.
Baltimore Grand Prix (all times ET)
• Practice 1: 8:50 a.m., Friday, Aug. 30
• Practice 2: 12:05 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30
• GT Qualifying: 4:50 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30
• Warmup: 10:10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 31
• Race: 3:45 p.m., Saturday Aug. 31
Baltimore: Watch It!
Friday, Aug. 30-Saturday, Aug. 31 (all times ET)
• Qualifying: Live – 4:20 p.m., Friday, Aug. 30 (ESPN3)
• Race (Web): Live – 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 31 (ESPN3)
• Race (TV): Noon, Sunday, Aug. 11 (ABC)
ANTONIO GARCIA, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“Street circuits have always been some of my favorite tracks. Last year I discovered both of the ALMS street circuits for the first time – Long Beach and Baltimore. Because the schedules were so tight, it was harder to get on the pace right away without knowing the track. This year is completely different. I have a race at Baltimore under my belt now – even if it wasn’t a good one because we got a puncture right at the start.
“Over the years, Corvette Racing has been competitive on all types of circuits – road courses and street circuits. Whatever kind of track will are on, the car is always competitive. We just need to be focused and get in a rhythm as soon as possible. Like any street circuit, you cannot make any mistakes and keep the car on the track until the end of the race.”
(On the level of focus for a street circuit) “You cannot ‘relax’ as much as on a road course, for sure. You always are focused even if you’re on a straight because of the bumps which are present. The level of focus needs to be a little higher. Everywhere is a potential place to make a mistake.”
JAN MAGNUSSEN, NO. 3 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It’s a fun track. It has quite a lot of grip in the surfaces we run on. That gives you confidence right away even though there is not a lot of room. Some places are very, very bumpy. (The chicane) is a little bit of an issue for everyone because it is a movable chicane. And we move it! Whoever uses that chicane best takes the most chances but can make the most gains. Other than that, I’m looking forward to going back there. It’s always a fantastic show in downtown Baltimore.”
(On the GT championship with four rounds remaining) “The manufacturer championship is most important to us. We keep reminding ourselves and the team reminds us that the ultimate goal is to win the manufacturer championship for Chevrolet. So far that has panned out well and continues to do so.”
OLIVER GAVIN, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“Baltimore is a lot of fun. I have some pretty good memories from there. I won pole last year, which was very satisfying. I enjoy the circuit. It is, alongside Sebring, the most aggressive circuit we race on in terms of the bumps and how physical the circuit can be. It’s tight and challenging. The walls are right there and you have to run right against them. I actually have the wing mirror from last year! The team gave it to me after the Baltimore event. The right side is missing – just the end part of it – as I scraped up against the side of the wall in qualifying. That’s kind of satisfying to do that kind of thing; you’re right on the limit and can’t use any more of the circuit.”
(Describing a lap) “It’s unique like every street circuit is. Braking into Turn 1 is tricky and challenging because it’s bumpy and it’s wide. You’re all the time wondering what side of the track you need to be. Can I be looking further on the inside or all the way out? Also just before the corner late in the braking zone, it goes quite a bit downhill. So that’s another thing that can catch you out. Braking into Turn 3 – the hairpin – is super bumpy but you always get a lot of grip right and the end of the braking zone and it’s very wide. Then you come back along the circuit to where the pits are, and they always resurface that area where the tram lines go. That part is very ‘grippy’. They use very good tarmac there. That part of the track is very quick, and there is another section back around the other side of the baseball field just before you get back on the start-finish straight.”
TOMMY MILNER, NO. 4 COMPUWARE CORVETTE C6.R
“It’s a home race for me. The last couple years, it’s been a fantastic event with good crowds and lots of new people to see us race. It’s great to see that the D.C., Virginia and Maryland areas have embraced the race like they have. I’m looking forward to getting back there again. We were second last year, and obviously that one is high on my list of ones I want to win.
(On the track) “It’s a good street track. I was pretty impressed the first year when they came with a brand new track. It’s tough to fit it in an area like the Inner Harbor where they want to have the race. There are some good passing spots with some sections that bumpy, some that are smooth. There are fast sections, slow stuff and hairpins… it’s challenging and fun for the drivers and makes for a good race track.
“There are bits and pieces that are challenging in their own right. Turn 1 is tough because the street has not been repaved or resurfaced at all. You’re kind of going uphill then down a little, and it’s a super-tight right-hander that is a great passing spot. It’s tough to squeeze the last couple of tenths out of the car there. It’s tougher when you’re offline because it’s so dirty. The last sweeping left- and right-hander before you come back on to Pratt Street is difficult because those are extremely quick corners for a street track. There is no margin for area. I’ve tried to push and find some more speed but you can get loose easily, and that’s a pretty scary moment.”
DOUG FEHAN, CORVETTE RACING PROGRAM MANAGER
“As difficult as road racing can be, nothing compares to the intensity of a battle on the streets of a major urban center. This time it will be the Inner Harbor of the great city of Baltimore. To be successful here, it takes the perfect balance of patience and aggression on the part of the drivers along with an effective race strategy and finished off with flawless execution by the crew guys in pit lane. With only four rounds to go in the ALMS season, every lap and every stop will play a vital role in retaining our ALMS manufacturers’ championship. With nine of those titles under our belt, you can bet we are ready to capture number 10.”
SONOMA, Calif., (Aug. 25, 2013) -Team Cadillac driver Andy Pilgrim won today’s running of the Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Grand Prix of Sonoma. Teammate Johnny O’Connell was classified in 11th position.
Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) was able to get a strong standing start from his front row grid position. He sped by teammate O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) who had a bad start. Pilgrim was side-by-side with the Volvo of Randy Pobst into Turn Two, but was able to hold the lead. On lap seven the only caution of the race flew. The Florida based driver was able to control the restart to lead every lap of the race for this first victory of the season.
“At the start Randy and I went up the hill to Turn Two side-by-side,” Pilgrim said. “At the brake zone I thought we were going to go thru the turn together and then he came down a little and we touched and he went around. It was a racing deal, I tried to miss him. I thought he would have given me a little more room. Then on the restart Mike Skeen [No. 2 Corvette] was right on I and I knew the Audi guys were right there as well. After our troubles in practice the Team Cadillac guys did a great job to put a good car under me for the race. We had a great day, it was good win.”
O’Connell started his No. 3 Cadillac CTS-V from the pole. However, when the lights went out to start the 50-minute race, he had trouble selecting first gear that had him stopped in the middle of the track while the GT and GTS field filed past. He was able to get the car going, but five turns later was involved in a crash that resulted in heavy rear damage. The team was able to get the car going for one more lap, gaining valuable championship points. O’Connell is now second in GT points with 1,335, James Sofronas (Audi) leads with 1,350 and Pilgrim is third with 1,279 (points are provisional).
“It was a scary moment,” O’Connell said. “When the lights go out and you can’t get select first gear, you are working to get it going knowing that 30 cars are coming up on you. I was able to get it into gear and get going. The first four corners were chaos. I made a move on the inside of one of the GTS cars and there was another one on the outside of him and there was nothing I could do at that point. The Team Cadillac crew did a great job to get the car back out for one lap, which gained me three points toward the championship. We will now have to go to Houston on a mission.”
Team Cadillac will travel to Houston, Texas for the Pirelli World Challenge finale Oct. 4-6.
The race from Sonoma will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, Sept. 8 at 3:30 p.m. ET. The race can be viewed at www.world-challengeTV.com on demand after the event.
Team Cadillac 2013 Pirelli World Challenge GT Results
SONOMA, Calif., (Aug. 24, 2013) – Team Cadillac drivers Johnny O’Connell and Andy Pilgrim will start tomorrow’s Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Grand Prix of Sonoma one and two respectively. The one point for the pole position was enough to clinch the manufacturer’s championship for Cadillac in the GT category.
O’Connell (Flowery Branch, Ga.) put in a time of 1:35.400 in his No. 3 Cadillac CTS-
V that will have him starting from pole position, seventh of the season, for tomorrow’s 11:10 a.m. PT start. Teammate Pilgrim (Boca Raton, Fla.) will take the standing start right next to O’Connell on the strength of his 1:35.433 time. The Georgia resident in contention for the driver’s title and is looking for a strong race to improve on his 13-point lead over second. Pilgrim is also in contention and will be looking to better his third-place position in the points.
“We knew that qualifying would be important this weekend,” O’Connell said. “The biggest challenge was the limited practice time. We really didn’t get a good feel for where the car was with the constant starting and stopping of practice and really only three laps in the last session on Friday. We pretty much reverted back to the original set-up that we unloaded with on Wednesday. My second lap, which was looking like my best, I had to go off line to avoid one of the Audi drivers that had a flat tire. I have a good race car for tomorrow and I have a friendly face in Andy staring next to me.”
“The limited practice is the same for everyone,” he continued. “We wanted to do a few things on the car that we didn’t have time to do. The fact that Andy and I are so close with our qualifying times is a real testament to the good work and preparation done by Team Cadillac.”
Pilgrim is pleased with his qualifying run.
“Team Cadillac did a great job on the initial set-up,” Pilgrim said. “We had some issues with on Thursday, so we really had to rely on the baseline set-up the team had on the car. All Cadillac front row is good for the team. I am happy with my qualifying time. When I can get that close to Johnny on time, who probably has more laps around here in a race car than anyone, that is a good day. Good pole for Johnny and good for his championship run.”
“Compared to last year we have softened the car up and it seems to work better that way,” he added. “The track surface is so polished that braking can be difficult. It is easy to over shoot your braking point. The whole race is going to be a crap shoot and it will be very interesting once we get into traffic.”
The Pirelli World Challenge Cadillac Grand Prix of Sonoma is a single race weekend that will take the standing start on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 12:10 PT. The race from Sonoma will be televised on NBC Sports, Sunday, September 8th at 3:30 p.m. ET. Live streaming of the race can be viewed at www.world-challengeTV.com on race day and continuously on demand after races.
Team Cadillac 2013 Pirelli World Challenge GT Results
What: Grand Prix of Baltimore, Round 7 of the 2013 American Le Mans Series. The race airs live at 3:30 p.m. ET today on ESPN3 and at noon ET Sunday on ABC.
No. 4 Compuware Corvette C6.R – Oliver Gavin and Tommy Milner
• Starting second in GT. Tommy Milner posted a lap of 1:30.007 (81.594 mph) Friday in qualifying.
• History at Baltimore
o Oliver Gavin – Two ALMS starts. Best finish: 2nd (2012). One pole position and one fastest race lap (both 2012)
o Tommy Milner – Two ALMS starts. Best finish: 2nd (2012)
No. 3 Compuware Corvette C6.R – Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen
• Starting fourth in GT. Antonio Garcia posted a lap of 1:30.132 (81.840 mph) in qualifying.
• History at Baltimore
o Antonio Garcia – One ALMS start. Best finish: 6th (2012)
o Jan Magnussen – Two ALMS starts. Best finish: 3rd (2011). One fastest race lap (2011).
“The manufacturer championship is most important to us. We keep reminding ourselves and the team reminds us that the ultimate goal is to win the manufacturer championship for Chevrolet. So far that has panned out well and continues to do so.” – Jan Magnussen
“Over the years, Corvette Racing has been competitive on all types of circuits – road courses and street circuits. Whatever kind of track will are on, the car is always competitive. We just need to be focused and get in a rhythm as soon as possible. Like any street circuit, you cannot make any mistakes and keep the car on the track until the end of the race.” – Antonio Garcia
EDITORS: High-resolution images of Corvette Racing are available on the Team Chevy media site for editorial use only.
Baltimore Grand Prix (all times ET)
• Warmup: 10:10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 31
• Race: 3:45 p.m., Saturday Aug. 31
Baltimore: Watch It!
Friday, Aug. 30-Saturday, Aug. 31 (all times ET)
• Race (Web): Live – 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 31 (ESPN3)
